Home - The Branco Weiss Fellowship

Taking Research beyond the Mainstream

The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science is a community of exceptional young scientists who share a passion for taking research beyond the mainstream. Fellows are given the means to pursue their personal vision of a particular scientific project independently – in the best possible locations, anywhere in the world. The fellowship is awarded to postdocs for up to five years. Since it continues after a promotion, some fellows even become faculty members during the course of their fellowship. Besides a passion for the research itself, what Branco Weiss Fellows and Alumni also have in common is a flair for communicating beyond their own field of study and with society at large.

The fellowship program was initiated and financed by the Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss, who passed away in October 2010. It is based at ETH Zurich.

Divergent Intellects

The fellowship is designed to support postdoctoral researchers after their PhD and before their first faculty appointment. The aim is to award up to ten fellowships each year. Researchers who pursue unconventional projects outside the mainstream of science (including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities) may apply. Those in current postdoctoral positions are also eligible.

The registration portal for the 2025 fellowship intake is now closed. Candidates are welcome to start applying in October 2025 for the January 15, 2026 deadline. Read all about eligibility for the fellowship here.

Latest News

Can Aztekin establishes laboratory at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society

14.02.2025 14:25

Branco Weiss Fellow Can Aztekin has been appointed as a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory (FML) of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen in Germany. Dr. Can Aztekin started his new position on February 1. His laboratory will investigate limb regeneration and the evolution of regenerative processes across species.

The Ruzicka Prize 2024 goes to Murielle Delley

23.01.2025 00:16

Branco Weiss Fellow Murielle Delley has been awarded the 2024 Ruzicka Prize. The Ruzicka Prize is one of the most important awards for the promotion of young scientists in the field of chemistry in Switzerland and endowed with 10,000 CHF. It is named after the ETH professor and Nobel laureate Leopold Ruzicka.

Inspiring Connections at the 2024 Branco Weiss Fellowship Symposium

28.11.2024 15:56

This November 2–5, the Branco Weiss Fellowship Symposium brought together nearly all current fellows for an engaging annual gathering. Branco Weiss himself envisioned these gatherings as a cornerstone of the fellowship, fostering meaningful exchange and collaboration. This year’s event continued that legacy, bringing together fellows and key staff, including members of the Board of Directors, administrative team, and communications specialists.

Julia Merkenschlager accepts tenure-track position at Harvard Medical School

05.11.2024 11:55

Branco Weiss Fellow Julia Merkenschlager has accepted a tenure-track position at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Merkenschlager began her new position on October 1 in the Department of Immunology, where she will focus on lymphocyte cooperation and competition.

Scientific excellence meets social impact – a new video for the fellowship

What is the Branco Weiss Fellowship? Who are its fellows and alumni, who are its directors? How does it benefit exceptional young scientists who share a passion for taking research beyond the mainstream? And what do its alumni get out of it? A new video about the Branco Weiss Fellowship answers these questions and more. Filming for the new video took place November 2–5 during the 2024 Symposium. The locations are the Seminarhotel Boldern, the laboratories of Robert Baines and Simone Schürle, and the ETH Audimax during and after the Branco Weiss Lecture 2024. In the video, fellows Robert Baines, Damian Blasi, Cara Brook, Ai Ing Lim and Renato Morais explain how they experienced the fellowship, while alumna Simone Schürle recalls the impact the fellowship had on her career. In addition, Professor Detlef Günther provides the board’s perspective. The video went live on December 11, 2024. It can be viewed on the Branco Weiss Fellowship website and its YouTube channel.